Rotary engines. Development potential?

[Readie]

the Gnome rotary aero engine

I find rotary's interesting and while I accept its ultimate limitations...

''Another problem encountered by rotary engine designers was met when trying to meet the demand for greater power. The size of the engine could be expanded in only two directions: make it larger in circumference, make it more than one row (deeper). The problem with the first solution was that this just made the gyroscopic forces even more unmanageable. The second way out of the problem provided much the same effect and the rear bank of cylinders were hard to cool''.

I have wondered whether a twin row rotary could be made where the rows contra rotate to cancel the gyroscopic forces.

Siemens-Halske Sh.III - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Counter Rotary Engine

Patent US6761144 - Rotary engine with counter-rotating housing and output shaft mounted on ... - Google Patents

93/399/1 Aero engine, rotary radial, metal, designed by Archibald Richardson, c.1912, built by Harold 'Curley' Eagle, Enfield, NSW, Australia, 1916 - Powerhouse Museum Collection

Ingenuous solutions.

Cheers

John

 

[gumbyk]

The gear mechanism would be horrendous to design and manufacture!

Also, as the propeller is attached to the housing, you would either be only getting power form the front half of the engine, or the front housing would be turning at twice the speed, and more gyroscopic forces.

 

[davebender]

Worse then for counter rotating props on the RR Griffon engine?

 

[gumbyk]

I'm not familiar with the prop gearing for the contra-props, but I would think so, given the gyroscopic forces involved.

You can cancel out the gyroscopic precession, but the gyroscopic inertia remains, which makes for a less manoeuvrable aircraft.